Columns

Did you notice the shift? Did you notice the change from a government of the people, by the people and for the people, to that of a monarch who bypasses all balance of power in order to impose his personal agenda on the American people?

Government belongs to you, not to politicians.
You have every right to know what your elected and appointed officials are up to and how government bureaucracies operate at every level, whether they be towns, cities, counties, school boards or state government.
That’s why 40 years ago South Carolina enacted the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). It was model legislation for the nation at the time, but sorely needs updating to plug holes that have been created by those who don’t want to be bothered by citizen inquiries and sunshine on government.

Tackling big issues is tough. It’s far easier for policy makers and politicians to make a speech or issue a press release with a few snappy phrases and then claim they are doing something.
And if you really want to make things difficult, add in such volatile and emotional issues as race, culture, sex and money – then it becomes a “really big tough issue.” Who wants to take this on? It’s easier to talk about transgender bathrooms.

Our good Lord works in mysterious ways! I had just left my son’s house at Cedar Pines Lake and started home to work in my yard, and something told me to go by and check on my friend and brother-in-law Louie Belk.
As I came up to his house, my phone ran, and Louie said, “Sherrill, where are you? I have fallen and I’m bleeding and I need to go to the doctor!” I told him, “Louie, I’m here at your back door now.”

Editor’s note: Rick Jiran, vice president of community relations for Duke Energy in South Carolina, gave the commencement address at Limestone College in Gaffney last Thursday. Here’s some of his advice on job hunting.

Companies aren’t looking for reasons to hire you. They are looking for reasons not to hire you.

The headline on this column is not a wish or an aspiration – it’s a statement of fact.
For years now, economic development people and politicians have talked about building the technology sector like it was the Holy Grail, and the Holy Land was Silicon Valley. With the help of some clever marketers who came up with cute names – there is now a Silicon Something sprouting up almost everywhere you look – Silicon Alley (New York City), Silicon Shore (Santa Barbara), Silicon Hills (Austin), Silicon Mountain (Denver), Silicon Forrest (Portland), etc.

As we head toward Memorial Day 2016, I am not only thinking of fellow veterans who have fallen but thinking of the 56 Founding Fathers who signed a document almost 240 years ago that changed the world.
The last sentence of the Declaration of Independence ends with “...we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred honor.”

To the Indian Land community:
It has been less than a month since we lost our home to a massive fire. We are truly thankful that our family is safe, which is the most important aspect of this whole experience.
We would like to express our thanks to the Indian Land community for all of the support during this difficult time. We would like to extend a heartfelt thank you for all of your generous donations of time, household goods, clothing, money, gift certificates and the like.

I am tired of listening to all the GOP whiners about Donald Trump and his movement to make America great again.
Regardless of how you feel about Mr. Trump, his rise as the frontrunner for the Republican Party’s nomination signals a strong popular voice in the United States – a voice for change from the status quo.

One of my favorite children’s books is Shel Silverstein’s “The Giving Tree,” which chronicles the life of a child growing up beside a tree.
It is a story of how the tree provides for the boy throughout his lifetime. First the tree offers apples, then climbing branches, finally shade and rest for the older man as he reflects on his life. In this tale, the tree is the teacher or coach, the boy is the student. Viewed another way, the tree is the community, the boy its citizen.